1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical staplers, and more particularly, to a surgical stapling apparatus for applying a plurality of surgical fasteners to body tissue and having a wound closure material applicator assembly for dispensing a quantity of wound closure material or components thereof, at least along a knife cut line and/or a staple line.
2. Background of Related Art
Surgical procedures requiring cutting of tissue can result in bleeding at the site of the cut. Various techniques have been developed to control bleeding with varying degrees of success, such as, for example, suturing, applying clips to blood vessels, and using surgical fasteners, as well as electrocautery and other tissue healing techniques.
Surgical instruments using surgical fasteners entail grasping or clamping tissue between opposing jaw structure and then joining the tissue by employing the surgical fasteners. These instruments are well known in the art. In some instruments, a knife is provided to cut the tissue, which has been joined by the fasteners. The fasteners are typically in the form of surgical staples. However, two part polymeric fasteners can also be utilized.
Instruments for this purpose can include two elongated or circular members, which are respectively used to capture or clamp tissue. Typically, one of the members carries a cartridge, which houses a plurality of staples arranged in at least two lateral rows while the other member carries an anvil, which defines a surface for forming the staple legs as the staples are driven from the cartridge. Where two part fasteners are used, one of the members carries a cartridge which houses one half of a fastener while the other member carries the second part of the fastener, e.g., the mating part, which halves are configured and adapted to be held together upon approximation. Typically, the stapling operation is effected by a driving member, which travels longitudinally through the cartridge carrying member, with the driving member acting upon pushers, which engage the staples for sequentially ejecting them from the cartridge. A knife can be provided which travels between the staple rows to longitudinally cut (i.e., form a knife cut line) and/or open the stapled tissue between the rows of staples. Usually, but not, always, the knife is associated with or travels with the staple driving member. Such instruments are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,079,606 and 3,490,675, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
A later stapler disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,591, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, applies a double row of staples on each side of the incision or the knife cut line. This is accomplished by providing a cartridge assembly in which a cam member moves through an elongate guide path between two sets of staggered staple carrying grooves. Staple drive members are located within the grooves and are positioned in such a manner so as to be contacted by the longitudinally moving cam to effect ejection of the staples. Other examples of staplers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,429,695, 5,065,929, and 5,156,614, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Electrocautery devices are preferred in certain surgical procedures for effecting improved hemostasis by heating tissue and blood vessels using thermogenic energy, preferably radiofrequency energy, to cause coagulation or cauterization. Monopolar devices utilize one electrode associated with a cutting or cauterizing instrument and a remote return electrode, usually adhered externally to the patient. Bipolar instruments utilize two electrodes and the cauterizing current is generally limited to tissue between the two electrodes of a tissue treating portion (e.g., end effector) of an instrument.
Even though stapling apparatus and electrocauterizing apparatus are respectively generally well suited to control bleeding along the knife cut line, other techniques are herein envisioned for being used in conjunction with these techniques.
Therefore, it is an aspect of the invention to provide a surgical stapling apparatus for providing general hemostasis, tissue joining or welding, and also a wound closure material, for example, for providing additional hemostasis along a cut line formed by a knife or other cutting means and/or along a staple line of the surgical stapling apparatus to reduce or prevent bleeding along the cut line and/or staple line.